Using restorative justice in the context of sexual victimisation

Nadia Wager, University of Bedfordshire

Background: The applicability of restorative justice (RJ) to sexual offences is highly contested; with strong views being expressed in both support and opposition to the notion. However, there is a relative dearth of empirical studies investigating the experience and impact of RJ on victims of sexual violence. The aim of this scoping study was to explore the arguments inherent in the debate and to examine the experiences of survivors who have participated in an RJ process. The research question was to what extent might RJ meet the justice and recovery needs of victims of sexual assault. Method: The method employed was Arksey and O’Malley’s (2002) six stage framework since this involves the synthesis and analysis of both non-empirical literature and studies which employ diverse designs into the review process. Initially, the reading of titles and abstracts identified 58 sources which were potentially suitable for inclusion. Within this, ten survivors’ accounts of meeting face-to-face with their offender in a RJ context were identified. Discussion and Conclusions: The findings suggest that within certain parameters, RJ might have potential to assist the healing process and offer a modicom of justice which might not be otherwise obtained.